A Rose's Thorns, A Cat's Claws
by Scioneeris
Summary: The Cross Academy days are over and Zero is a respectable hunter working dutifully and minding his own business when he stumbles across an injured cat with red eyes and fur the color of Kaname-chocolate. Currently a friendship fic.
1. Running Away

**A/N: I finally did it! LOL. Yet another one of my VK ideas that's been rattling around in my head this past semester. I figured it wouldn't hurt to go ahead and throw it out there. I don't know if it'll just be friendship or Yaoi later on or whatever. Might have to take a vote. LOL. If you comment, let me know what you think. It's friendship for now. The title of this fic is explained from the cat proverb, A Rose has thorns and a Cat has claws, but both are worth the risk~Anon. ^_^ **

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own any Vampire Knight anything that belongs to Matsuri Hino, I only lay claim to my original plot bunnies and characters.  
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**SUMMARY: The Cross Academy days are over and Zero is a respectable hunter working dutifully and minding his own business when he stumbles across an injured cat with red eyes and fur the color of Kaname-chocolate. **

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><p>Kaname clutched his injured arm, head thrown back against the wall, teeth gritted in pain as blood poured from the wound. The very scent of blood in the air was almost too much. He was in a very bad way.<p>

He was tired, weary, exhausted and whatever other version of the blasted word that there was. He'd been doing this for far too long, but it seemed as if they wouldn't stop at all. The attacks just kept coming one after the other and now, he was alone.

He'd had no rest and it didn't look like there was much of an end in sight.

A hiss of pain escaped and Kaname willed his pureblooded body to make the injuries go away. Sure, some of the wounds were hunter-inflicted, but that only meant a delay, right? Nothing permanent? He couldn't afford any lasting injuries, if he did suffer some, he certainly wouldn't make it out of this hellhole alive.

He could only hope that the others of his inner circle had managed to figure some things out on their own without his instruction, but from the very fact that he fought alone, Kaname knew the reality of such truth was rather bleak.

There was nothing in the world that would keep Seiren from coming to him as long as there was breath and blood in her body. The girl was that loyal, blood aside. She would never have left him to fend for himself like this and knowing his current situation, Kaname didn't want to think what must have happened.

There was no time for that sort of thing.

Drawing in a shaky breath, he gathered up his pureblood power and threw it out around him like a blanket, not bothering to douse the pureblood aura. The others would certainly smell his blood and it was pointless to try to hide that, perhaps his aura might help him in keeping some of the lesser ones at bay. This had really begun to get quite bad. The Level E's were sure to be upon him in another wave, but for the brief moment of reprieve, he'd use his head.

Something was definitely wrong with all of this and with all his scheming and planning, surely he should've been able to see and know that something was wrong. He should've known. The throbbing in his arm grew worse and Kaname did something he never thought he would do.

He ran.

From the abandoned warehouse on the edge of town, he dodged through the alleyways, the dirty, cluttered streets and he ran as fast as he could.

Distance.

That was all he was thinking of. He had to get away. He had to go somewhere safe.

His legs grew heavy and tired with the effort being exerted in his precious state. He'd really lost too much blood. Snarls from behind alerted him to the fact that he had managed to put some distance between them and the others, but not all of them.

A sickening feeling of dread began to work its way into his churning stomach as Kaname realized that Level E's most certainly would not have the power nor the intelligence to hunt a pureblood, so the ones that were following him were at least—he took a cautious sniff—definitely vampire.

He rounded the corner of one building and slammed against it to draw himself to an immediate stop.

"Hiding, Kaname-sama?" The disrespectful shriek was followed by cackling laughter as one pair of burning red eyes appeared around the corner of the building. "Poor, poor pureblood." The laughter was mocking. "You run, run, run! But no hi-ding!"

The Councils secret dogs.

Kaname swallowed hard. At that point, he didn't care whether it was the Hunter Association or the Elder Council who'd sent the wretched killers, it just mattered that they'd sent them. That they considered him enough of a threat to have him hunted and killed.

They couldn't even send a trained assassin. They'd sent Level E's and a wave of noble amateurs. Tamed amateurs.

Oh the disgrace.

They couldn't even kill him with dignity.

He was nothing more than a problem and they'd just let him die.

Like a dog.

As if he were nothing.

As if he were some worthless little-!

In that moment, Kaname lost his temper.

No, he'd been angry before, but this time—this time he'd really lost it.

A fierce throbbing pain in the back of his head alerted him to the fact that something was about to happen—mostly because purebloods didn't get headaches and when they did, a pureblood's headache usually meant trouble for those in the immediate vicinity.

Kaname felt his body tremble, shiver and began to convulse as if shrinking into himself and suddenly, he couldn't bear it. The pain became a blinding white hot blur and when it was over, Kaname didn't remember anything at all.

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><p><strong>~*~*~Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think!~*~*~* <strong>


	2. A Really Long Day

**A/N: Thank you for the kind response to this fic. I'm glad there are folks that are enjoying it! ^_^ Here's chapter two and it's from Zero's POV after a long day and how he finds Kaname. ^_^ Enjoy the read! Please excuse typos-and let me know if you find one, so I can fix it. I'm dead tired at the moment and it's 4AM. _  
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**DISCLAIMER: I do not own any Vampire Knight anything that belongs to Matsuri Hino, I only lay claim to my original plot bunnies and characters.  
><strong>

**SUMMARY: The Cross Academy days are over and Zero is a respectable hunter working dutifully and minding his own business when he stumbles across an injured cat with red eyes and fur the color of Kaname-chocolate. **

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><p>It was one if those kinds of days that Zero thoroughly hated. He slumped into the wooden bench in the hallway, the front door of the ranch house clicking shut behind him as he gratefully leaned against the wall, head lolling back on the welcome hardness. It really had been that kind of a day.<p>

He sighed, raking one slightly trembling hand though his sweat slicked hair. Yes, if this kind of a day didn't repeat itself for another couple of months, he'd be fine. Three of them in one week was really pushing it.

With a repeated sigh, the weary hunter turned his attention to the tightly laced combat boots and began to work the stiff, blood crusted laces free. The worn leather gave way beneath his expert touch and soon, he was barefoot, the socks crumpled and stuffed inside the boots as he wiggled stiff toes in the cool air.

Stopping to turn up the thermostat, Zero ducked into the kitchen and then into the laundry room off to the left. There, he ripped off the dirty clothes and stuffed them into the waiting washing machine. He contemplated saving the boots out in the entryway, remembering what a pain it had been to break in a new pair, but then again the soles had been burnt from that last escapade with the burning rooftops. Zero grimaced, turning the knobs on the washing machine and reaching for one of the usual dressing gowns that he was sure to keep there for moments like this when he didn't care to have the dirty clothes sitting in the hamper in the upstairs bathroom.

Dirty clothes that reeked of death.

Death and vampire ashes.

He set the cycle and stepped into a pair of ragged bedroom slippers and shuffled into the kitchen. He felt like a good curry and an endless bowl of rice. That was generally pretty easy and for once, he was glad of simple tastes, he didn't think he could spare the energy for anything fancy, but he'd learned years ago that weird food cravings was one of the coping mechanisms for the duel life if a vampire and hunter. He simply accepted it and moved on. There wasn't much he could do.

A pot was found and the cold curry in the fridge was added to the warming oil. Zero set the timer and then sprinted upstairs to the bathroom with more energy than he felt he could spare. The luxury of a hot shower was something's that he didn't spend too much time on. In out. Soap sometimes before the out part.

He toweled his hair dry, having changed into a comfortable set of sleep pants and shirt, moving slowing down the stairs, the towel draped around his shoulders when the stove timer chimed out. He checked the rice cooker that had been set to warm and the went about the business of filling a large plate with the contents. A generous helping of curry was ladled over the top and he paused to set the coffee maker to run and then snatched up a fork from the utensil drawer, he retreated from the kitchen towards the living room, pausing only to poke the coffeemaker into brewing another pot of the necessary liquid.

He was looking forward to eating until one stray thought caught his mind and he sighed. He definitely couldn't eat in good conscience no matter how hungry he was for the sake of that one thought.

_Lily. _

He set the plate on the coffee table in front of the TV and turned back to the kitchen. His stomach rumbled as he checked the messages on the phone on the kitchen counter. It was nothing important, just the usual and a reminder to call Yagari sometime when he got back so the old man would know he was still alive.

Zero snorted, moving to the refrigerator where he swiped the milk carton from the shelf and took a few good swigs to ease his rumbling stomach. Then, he trudged to the laundry room to retrieve his outdoor coat and rubber boots.

He paused long enough to shove the Bloody Rose in the waistband of his jeans and then headed for the backdoor.

A few minutes later, he tromped through the tall grass to the small barn just a ways off from the ranch house. He whistled for the horse, knowing that Lily wouldn't be too far off. The temperamental mare usually kept close by when evening fell, eager to return to her warm stall and receive whatever treats Zero had thought to bring her.

The weary ex-hunter smiled a few minutes later when the white horse came into view with a welcoming nicker.

"Evenin' to you too, old girl." He crooned, rubbing her nose and feathering a hand over her ears, before hooking two fingers through her bridle and guiding her through the gate and towards the barn.

It didn't take him long to get her settled, with the usual horse feed in her trough, a few pails of fresh water and her warm blanket. She whickered softly, nudging his shoulder affectionately as he checked her ears out of habit from the little infection episode they'd had a few months ago.

Satisfied, he turned away. "Night, Lil."

His stomach gurgled slightly as he started back towards the house.

Keen vampire hearing picked up something he hadn't heard on the way in.

Lavender eyes flickered a darker shade of purple as Zero scanned the yard for the source of the sound. He heard the strangled snarl and hiss before he spotted the distressed feline.

That's when every single one of his hunter senses began to scream bloody murder.

Years of training and experience kept him right where he was.

The sight that caught his eyes both horrified and appalled the hunter as he realized there were two Level E vampires attempting to retrieve a small cat crouched on a low tree branch.

_Well, snap. _Zero thought, irritably_. This is a perfect way to end the afternoon. _

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><p><strong>~*~*~Thanks for reading!~*~*~*~<em><br>_**


	3. To The Rescue!

**A/N: Thank you for the kind response to this fic. I'm glad there are folks that are enjoying it! Sorry to take so long to get this chapter up. The Spring Semester has begun for me and that means my writing time pretty much goes 'zip' after the first week. *sigh* I'll do my best to keep up. ^_^ Here's chapter three and we're still in Zero's POV as he comes to rescue Kaname. ^_^ Enjoy the read! Please excuse typos-and let me know if you find one, so I can fix it.  
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**DISCLAIMER: I do not own any Vampire Knight anything that belongs to Matsuri Hino, I only lay claim to my original plot bunnies and characters.  
><strong>

**SUMMARY: The Cross Academy days are over and Zero is a respectable hunter working dutifully and minding his own business when he stumbles across an injured cat with red eyes and fur the color of Kaname-chocolate.**

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><p>Zero drew the Bloody Rose from where he'd tucked it in his waistband. He'd grabbed it out of habit more than the thought that he would actually need to use it while he was home and on his own turf.<p>

There was nothing but a rather large bubble of irritation and annoyance that seemed to work itself up inside of him as he approached the bizarre scene. He'd never seen something like this before and he didn't like the way it was settling in his head.

It was all wrong.

It had to be.

He'd never seen—surely—this was madness.

The two hideous Level E's turned at his approach, then one of them drew forward, attempting to take the foreground and allow its partner to continue with its efforts towards the bleeding, snarling ball of fluff.

Zero took in the gaunt appearance and blood-red eyes. There was no pleasure in killing ever, regardless of whether the creature deserved it or not. There was some satisfaction if the job was well done, but even that was a feeling that the ex-human worked to keep from coming to fruition. He didn't necessarily have to adore what he did, he just had to be good at it.

Bloody well perfect at it.

A steady hand held the Bloody Rose up and Zero fired two shots in quick, even succession.

There wouldn't be a fight about this.

There just wouldn't be.

He didn't feel like it.

His dinner was waiting inside near the TV and he was hungry.

There was no way a pair of idiot Level E's were going to take up his time and more than two shots.

But they did.

Zero scowled, ducking and rolling to the side as the first vampire snarled and launched itself forward towards him, claws and fangs fully extended. He heard the screech of displeasure from the second rogue vampire and his brilliant mind briefly wondered what had happened for it to come to that point.

He had fired two direct shots to where it should've taken care of both of them. Yet, somehow, it hadn't worked.

Something hadn't worked, Zero amended, knowing that he had shot two straight shots and that whatever had happened was certainly something that he didn't have time to puzzle out now.

The fight came quickly.

They grappled and struggled, rolling in the grass, a tangle of clothes, flesh, blood and growls.

It was vicious and brutal.

In his tired state however, Zero only grew more annoyed by the creature's inability to die, even as he put three more shots through the thing's arms, neck and chest. With a sudden surge of inhuman strength, he shoved the protesting creature down and placed the gun at point blank range at the center of the creatures forehead.

He fired once. Twice. Thrice.

It dissolved in a mass of vampire ash.

There was an unearthly shriek from the second vampire at the tree and Zero was on his feet within seconds, hand held out in front of him, he advanced, firing steadily. His shots found their home and within seconds, the other vampire had been reduced to the same ashen state.

Zero scowled.

He wiped his bloody lip, then winced and licked it gingerly. His vampire healing would catch up with everything in a little bit and some food would go a long way in making that come about.

With a careful visual sweep of his surroundings, the weary hunter tucked the Bloody Rose back into his pants pocket and moved forward to see what all the fuss was about. He'd been able to make out that it was a cat—at least, he thought it was—up in the tree and from the strangely sweet scent of blood in the air, he knew it was injured.

Moving carefully and slowly, Zero approached the tree and took stock of the situation.

It was really quite a pitiful ball of fluff.

Black fur and blood-red eyes, with bright white teeth showing as the cat hissed and swiped at the hand reaching towards him.

Zero jerked back, wincing as one lucky swipe slashed through his hand. He scowled. "Hey! I'm just trying to help you." He snapped, looking at his hand and then back at the ball of fluff. "I don't have to, you know."

He flexed his hand, forcing his mind to empty itself and deliberately draw his vampire powers to the front to heal the cut. Not a full healing, but enough that the angry, fiery swipe wouldn't make it seem as if his hand were on fire.

Eyeing the still hissing and spitting bundle, Zero unbuttoned his ragged, torn shirt and shrugged out of it. He did a few mental calculations in his head and then leapt forward.

His hands were quicker now and his mind was made up.

With a carefully timed movement, he leapt up into the tree, wrapping his legs around the thick trunk. "You had better be worth it." He muttered to the cat. He tossed the shirt around the fighting, injured animal and winced as it fought him, his shirt quickly coloring crimson.

That couldn't be good.

Zero managed to make it to the house in one piece and he was careful not to set the cat down straight away. He was trying to figure out what exactly to do with it, when the warm, wet body went limp.

"Aw, c'mon cat!" He scowled. "You can't die on me now! I'm missing my dinner 'cause of your happy adventure with a bunch of crazed bloodsuckers." But the worry in his voice was thick and heavy as he gingerly eased the bundle down on the kitchen counter.

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><p><strong>~*~*~*~Thanks for reading!~*~*~*~<strong>


	4. Rescued and Rescuer

**A/N: Thank you for the kind response to this fic and the lovely reviews! Don't worry, I won't kill kitty Kaname-there wouldn't be much of a story if I did, right? ^_^ Do enjoy the read! Please excuse any typos you might find-and let me know, so I can fix it. Also, remember that Zero is older in this, because school is over and he's been working on his own as a hunter for a while, think probably around early twenties, yes? I'll decide for sure soon.  
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**DISCLAIMER: I do not own any Vampire Knight anything that belongs to Matsuri Hino, I only lay claim to my original plot bunnies and characters.  
><strong>

**SUMMARY: The Cross Academy days are over and Zero is a respectable hunter working dutifully and minding his own business when he stumbles across an injured cat with red eyes and fur the color of Kaname-chocolate.**

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><p>The cat was still breathing.<p>

Zero was infinitely grateful for that singular necessary detail.

Now it was his turn to breathe.

He stood, frozen for a moment and then willed himself together and to start working. He'd dealt with enough injuries of his own and various farm animals throughout the years that he didn't bother to call a vet at that hour.

Sure, he did know of one that he could call, but in his present state of mind and having just come back from a rather vicious hunt, Zero knew he would be a troublesome customer and a poor host. The injured cat would probably do better without the added stress of two possible cargivers as well.

With a sigh, the silver-haired hunter gritted his teeth and went to work.

His first order of business was to stop the blood and then to check the extent of all injuries. He found necessary supplies in under the bathroom sink in the guest bedroom-turned-makeshift hospital room.

The young hunter reasoned that he'd move the cat in there as soon as he could be sure that moving it wouldn't cause more discomfort or bleeding. He was glad, momentarily, that the cat was no longer awake as he poked and prodded at it, attempting to work with his limited knowledge and the supplies at hand.

Something seemed to work.

The bleeding stopped with his careful ministrations.

When he could do no more from the kitchen, Zero gingerly eased the creature up from the kitchen counter and carried it down the hall and into the special room. He set it carefully on a space he'd prepared on the bed and carefully rolled several towels into logs and placed them in a circle around the soft, blanketed square

There was nothing else he could do but wait and watch.

Zero stifled a yawn. He was tired and hungry—two things that had yet to change since he'd arrived at home. With a sigh, he retreated from the room and shuffled to the kitchen. He stood in front of the refrigerator for several long, agonizing minutes.

There was a quick and simple solution inside.

He just didn't really want to take it.

The inner battle continued for several long minutes and finally, common sense won out. He couldn't afford to spend a bunch of time arguing with himself and he needed to be in control of all his faculties while caring for an injured animal.

_No matter how much I hate it…_

_No matter how much I despise it…_

_No matter how much I would die without it…_

_I'd rather…not. _

_I'm not a monster. _

_I'm not a monster. _

_I'm NOT a monster. _

Zero yanked the door open and reached for the glass flask in the back of the 'fridge. The thick, red liquid sloshed inside as he tugged off the stopper and closed his eyes.

Looking at it didn't help and neither did his reaction.

A burning thirst sprang to life inside of his body, an aching pain birthing in his mouth as his fangs elongated and shifted phases behind the pale closed lids. His trembling lips parted as he raised the flask to his lips and gulped down the cold blood.

It was hardly a decent substitute for the real, fresh thing, but it was all he had and he would make it work.

He had to.

The blood tablets had never worked and while he'd managed to slow the descent from Level E to at least, Level D—it had only been in thanks to some misguided generosity on behalf of a certain pureblood for the sake of his adoptive sister.

A shudder ran through the young hunter as he greedily gulped down the offering and sucked, softly, at the mouth of the glass flask before he was convinced there was nothing left. His eyes slowly opened, the scarlet glow of bloodlust fading away as he slammed the door of the 'fridge shut and shuffled to the sink.

He went through the motions of washing the flask, his actions becoming more deliberate and strong as the blood began to do its work.

The rumbling of his stomach ceased at once and the weariness dulled as it began to slip away. Faintly renewed, Zero popped into the hospital room to check the cat—it was still sleeping. He returned to the kitchen to shrink-wrap his dinner plate and stuff it into the 'fridge.

He could eat it later. There was no need to waste perfectly good food.

The silver-haired fellow puttered around the kitchen for a few more minutes, then ambled down the hall to the hospital room once more. He paused in the doorway of the room, surveying the cat with worried lavender eyes.

His hand fumbled in one jeans pocket for his cellphone and he sent the obligatory text to Yagari to let the older man know that he was home, safe and fed. It would put his mentor at ease for however short a time the man would allow.

Zero almost smiled. Yagari had always been more of a father to him than Kaien Cross, but they both tried in their own ways to make him feel as if he belonged and did indeed deserve to walk on the face of the earth.

A quiet sigh left his lips as he shuffled over to the bed and checked the cat. It was still breathing and he didn't know what else he could do for it. The wounds were no longer bleeding and he hoped the painkillers at least made sleep tolerable for the poor thing.

Easing himself down on the bed, Zero curled up into a ball, stifling a yawn. He was tired. So very tired. There was only so much that borrowed blood could do—even if it was freely given—and he knew the consequences of it would surely kick in by the next few minutes. He wasn't looking forward to it at all.

Sometimes, being half-hunter and half-vampire really sucked. What would help him survive for several long weeks would only do so after it had tortured him for several long hours.

_Sleep. _His mind dimly reminded him_. Sleep now, before the pain comes. _

One hand reached towards the cat in the towel-circled space and rested on the edge of the soft rolls, just close enough to the cat's face to feel the faintest tickle of breath. He stroked the soft head as gently and lightly as he dared, before leaving his hand to hang limply there.

His vampire senses would be sure to alert him if something changed for the furry patient and Zero knew he'd wake up to deal with it. He hoped nothing would change for the worse.

Another yawn escaped and Zero let his tired eyelids slide shut.

A sharp pang stabbed through his chest and Zero gritted his teeth, willing sleep to come to him.

The blackness came and he gladly gave in.

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><p>Through the haze of pain and darkness, a delightfully thrilling scent wafted itself under Kaname's nose. He tried and failed to place it, but there was something familiar about it that settled into the rational corner of his feline mind.<p>

A soft, feather-light touch soothingly stroked his head and Kaname thought for a moment that he was on his way to heaven.

Tension slowly faded away as he felt himself begin to relax. His body was healing—at a much slower rate than usual—but healing nonetheless and now he was getting hungry.

The scent drew nearer and something inside the cat snapped.

He felt another painful shudder and twinge ripple through his body, but he didn't care. He wanted that delicious thing, whatever it was and he wanted it now! With tremendous effort, his eyes flickered open and Kaname blearily registered the fact that there was a faintly tanned, well-worked hand draped over something just in front of his face.

All rational thought left him and Kaname stretched forward as far as he dared and sunk his fangs into the wonderfully scented skin.

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><p><strong>~*~*~*Thanks for reading! Leave a comment if you can.~*~*~*~<strong>


	5. Breakfast Time!

**A/N: Special thanks to my wonderful reviewers and readers! I truly appreciate you! Here's Chapter 5 of this little tale. I do hope you enjoy it. I'll try to make the next one longer. ^_^ Enjoy!  
><strong>

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own any Vampire Knight anything that belongs to Matsuri Hino, I only lay claim to my original plot bunnies and characters. See summary in previous chapters.  
><strong>

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><p>Zero woke with a throbbing pain in his left hand. He couldn't, for the life of him, think why, but as he drew the hand to him, he cradled it in the warmth close to his chest as a large yawn escaped. He'd managed to sleep—that was good—and there hadn't been too many nightmares tangled with his dreams.<p>

That had been even better.

Clumsily, Zero massaged the aching, throbbing hand with his other and managed to rouse himself enough to lift his head. The events of the night came rushing back in a crashing wave that made him lie down once more, his head growing heavy with the weight of such knowledge.

It had been a thoroughly depressing and confusing night.

A moan left his lips.

He wished going back to sleep was an option as every fiber in his body seemed bent on screaming out the pain and abuse he'd subjected it to the night before. Zero grimaced. He hadn't thought that he'd pushed himself that hard, but then again, he'd never been that great at recognizing his limits. Why on earth would that have changed now? Of course, such normal, mundane things could easily be solved, if he just had a bit of fresh blood. Zero gulped. Yes, that would be the easy answer. _Perhaps he could ask Yagari for…no! _His mind rebelled_. Not now. Wait a while. Ask him later._

Shame prickled through him and Zero let his head roll to the side. Yeah, he'd wait a while and then ask. It wasn't as if he really had to, anyway, the older man kept a stricter count than he did and he'd probably show up some time in the next week to deliver the customary red liquid that kept him alive.

Something shifted beside him and Zero's attention was drawn to the furry companion nestled in the makeshift towel-bed beside him. He blinked. Now in the daylight, he could see a little clearer and the cat wasn't really black at all—more of a dark brown chocolate color and looking rather thin and pitiful.

Albeit, in far better shape than it'd been the night before. Zero wondered how tired he'd been. He could've sworn the cat had worse injuries than the faintly sealed cuts and scrapes in the half-matted fur.

The mere sight of the little creature so peaceful for the moment, literally tugged at his frayed heartstrings. Zero swallowed and winced, his throat was burning, faintly—a sure sign that the blood he'd down the night before hadn't really done much to take the edge off of his thirst.

Perhaps he'd have to go hunting.

Perhaps.

He hated doing that. Always did.

Then again, there was always the Level E list to clear out and as long as he was careful, no one would complain.

He was always careful.

His stomach rumbled and he managed a rueful grin when the cat stirred. Dark, wine-colored orbs opened to stare at him and Zero found himself staring back. There was almost something vaguely familiar about those eyes.

He blinked and the confusion faded.

"Hello there, little guy." He murmured, gingerly stretching and then easing himself upright. He hadn't meant to fall asleep in the guest bedroom, though he wouldn't have been able to forgive himself if the cat had passed in the night. "Have a nice sleep?" He inquired, stifling a yawn as he swung his long legs over the edge of the bed to rest on the floor.

He looked at the cat.

It looked back at him.

His lips quirked in a smile he couldn't resist showing.

"I suppose you'd like some breakfast then, huh?"

The cat blinked at him, head cocked to the side and then a rusty, garbled meow came in answer.

The smile on the hunter's face upped several watts more. "Breakfast it is then."

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><p>He did check the little thing over, relieved, though puzzled at the cat's miraculous healing. He wasn't about to complain about it though and so, he simply cleaned the wounds as best as he could and wrapped the weak thing in a clean, fluffy towel, carrying it to the kitchen with him.<p>

"I didn't get to eat my dinner last night, 'cause of you." He told it.

The wine-colored eyes seemed to glower at him.

Zero suppressed a smile. "I put it in the 'fridge though, so don't worry. It didn't go to waste. I don't think you can eat it though. It's people food." He hmm'd thoughtfully. "I don't know what you can eat. I don't have the kind of milk you can drink either." He mused out loud. "I mean, cats are usually lactose intolerant and all that." He frowned. "I have tuna though. Tuna's fish and fish is good, right?" He wrinkled his nose. "I don't know why I have it though, the stuff stinks…"

Settling his precious bundle down on the kitchen counter, Zero patted the soft chocolate head, hoping the cat would continue to stay still as he began to rummage through the kitchen to see what exactly he had to offer his feline guest.

He found frozen chicken wings in the freezer and began to microwave those, figuring he could cut them into pieces and perhaps the cat would like it. He eyed his dinner plate in the 'fridge and found that his appetite didn't quite agree with it.

A sigh left his lips as he headed to the dish cabinet and took out a large bowl for him and a small one for the cat. He found a box of cereal in the pantry and poured himself a bowl, while the chicken nuggets continued to defrost.

He set the table, careful to keep his dish there and the cat's own on the counter.

He didn't notice when he filled the glass of milk and set it beside the cereal bowl—that the cat wrapped in the towel perked up considerably. The silver-haired hunter didn't even notice—as he began to cut the chicken nuggets into little pieces—that the strange cat was staring hard at the breakfast on the table and the glass of milk was beginning to wobble and shake on its own.

Zero didn't even notice when the glass floated off the table and across the kitchen back to the counter. The cat took a few experimental sniffs and then a pink tongue darted out, lapping up the white liquid.

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><p><strong>~*~*AN: Heehee, sneaky little Kaname, eh? Review if you like, thanks for reading! ~*~***


	6. Missed by Many

**A/N: Thanks to my wonderful reviewers and readers! I truly appreciate you! Apologies to take so long with this chapter, but I wasn't really sure about it.**

**WARNING: This chapter is darker than any of the other chapters have been so far and it focuses entirely on what the other vamps have been doing (specifically Kain) while Kaname is missing. **

**Just to keep the time straight : Kaname has been missing for two weeks-but he's only met up with Zero for one night and the morning where they are at present. Here's Chapter 6 of this little tale. I hope you enjoy it and I'll get back to the fluffy stuff soon!  
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**DISCLAIMER: I do not own any Vampire Knight anything that belongs to Matsuri Hino, I only lay claim to my original plot bunnies and characters. See summary in previous chapters.**

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><p>Zero concentrated on making nice, even cuts into the little chicken nuggets, hoping the cat would eat them. He was pleased to notice that he hadn't over-nuked them the way he was prone to do whenever the microwave was involved, but perhaps it was just a bit of luck on his part.<p>

Scooping the nugget pieces into the little bowl, he turned to face the cat and nearly dropped the bowl. The chocolate-brown beauty had wriggled out of the towel and currently had its face buried in a glass of milk.

Glass of milk.

_His_ glass of milk.

The glass of milk that he could've sworn he'd placed next to his cereal on the table.

Zero blinked.

He'd need more sleep than he thought.

No, he'd need more blood. Perhaps he really was hallucinating or something. Surely he hadn't left the glass beside the cat—that would've been stupid and far too irresponsible. He frowned, moving over to the counter. "Hey!"

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><p>"Did you find her?" Kain caught his cousin as the injured Vampire stumbled into the foyer of the Kuran mansion. "Aido!"<p>

"No…sign." The blond vampire choked out, sagging willingly into the arms that now supported him. "Searched everywhere and-" He winced. "Too many of them…no sign of…Kaname-sama."

"Shh. Easy." Kain drew him close, holding tight, uncaring as the scent of blood filled the air and stained the front of his suit. "Ruka? Takuma!" He barked. He kept a careful grip on the younger vampire, as not to squash him with his strength.

The others were around him in short order and Aido was quickly taken away to be tended to. Ruka stood beside him, having hung back for one long moment, her hand resting gently on his arm. "Akatsuki?" She murmured.

"He didn't find any of them." The strawberry blond gritted his teeth. "Said there was no sign. She'd never let him out of her sight, Ruka!"

"I know." The tall girl smiled thinly. "Something will turn up."

"It's been nine days! He never slips away for longer than three, you know that!"

"Aye, I do!" She turned on him fiercely, eyes flashing. "And I'm sure he has his reasons." She swallowed. "And it's her. Aktatsuki, if she couldn't find him, then…" She hesitated. "The best we can do is to manage what he left behind until he comes back."

"We can't."

"We can!"

"It's going-"

"They'll find out, yes, because we can't hide the truth from them forever, but I'm sure by then, something will happen. You know Kaname-sama would never leave us stranded like this." Her eyes drilled into him. "You know this!"

The older boy heaved a breath and then his head bowed. Yes, indeed, he did know this. "…sorry."

She hugged him, gently, mindful of the bloodied front of his suit. "It's alright. You've always been the strongest of us all, please…don't fall apart on me now. I don't think I could handle that."

He forced a smile and kissed her wrinkled brow. "I will be fine. Thank you. You should go see how Aido's doing."

"We." She corrected, starting forward, pulling his arm.

"No." He tugged it free and had already begun to undo the buttons on his stained suit jacket. The shirt beneath it was fine and clean, which was perfect. He couldn't stop to change now. The urge to make himself useful grew steadily larger with every step away from the front door. "You should go. He'll need blood."

"All the more reason for-" She stopped as she realized she now held his suit jacket sleeve in one hand and he was rearranging the cuffs on his dress shirt. "Kain, don't. You can't."

He smiled, sadly. "I can go now or later, Ru." The smile wavered. "Now is best."

"Now is not-!"

"I'll be fine. Just go…and keep an eye on them. All of them."

"Don't you dare!" She lunged forward and forcibly grabbed him, dragging him along the corridors. "I can't do that. I can't! What kind of stunt do you think you're trying to pull?" She snapped, giving one hard jerk and hearing him thump against the wall. She breathing hard and didn't dare look him in the face—nor the eyes—just yet. She couldn't believe it. Of all the times he had to pick to play the—her temper simmered over. "I won't have any more of these ridiculous melodramatics and I'm tired of you getting to the point where you think just because Kaname and Seiren aren't here that you have to be the one that goes around and-" Ruka whirled and froze.

He no longer stood there, braced against the wall. The entire hallway was empty.

Her eyes burned with vampire tears and she slowly clutched his jacket to her chest. "Kain." She ground out. "Why, Kain? Why? Why would you do this to me?"

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><p>Yagari flipped his phone open for the dozenth time that morning. He read and reread the message that Zero had sent him last night. He hadn't wanted to send the young man off on his own, even if it was to his own home.<p>

Not in the state that Zero had been in yesterday.

Work had been brutal and the situations had simply snowballed one after another.

Yagari knew him well enough to know that there would be little to no sleep after a day like that. He also knew the boy would probably drain whatever blood reserves he had the moment he set foot inside his home.

It didn't help that some of the tricky situations had included young children and led to the unnecessary deaths of innocent passersby.

It didn't help at all.

The elder hunter took a deep breath and slowly rolled it out. He did a few mental calculations in his head and came to the usual conclusion that he usually did after such musings. Zero would be running low on blood right around now and if he'd gone home to drain his reserves in a fit of…something, then he was sure to be out by now.

He'd have to make arrangements for that sometime today—to siphon off the blood and then to visit Zero.

His stubborn-headed apprentice lived far enough into the country that it was a headache to travel to the farmhouse and back. He knew this was for Zero's own peace of mind—the silver-headed hunter swore that he'd be less of threat when there were less possible targets around.

Of course, Yagari hadn't been able to complain when the outdoors seemed to have the most calming effect he'd seen on the kid in years. That had made him hold his tongue on more than one occasion.

But after a night like yesterday, there was no way he could calmly sit down and expect everything to be just peachy. He had to go. Had to see Zero. Had to know that the boy that was practically a son to him was alright.

He sighed and slowly moved out from the shadows where he'd been keeping lookout. He flipped open the cellphone again and tapped out a short message, knowing that his usual day partner would take care of it for him.

He'd stop and see Zero the minute he was cleared to do so.

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><p>"No sign of Kaname?" Shiki sat on the barstool beside the dejected Kain and idly toyed with the knife he spun in his hands. "You looked all on the short side?" He done as he'd been last ordered by Kaname, uncaring as to whether the pureblood was there for his report or not. Kaname had asked him to take care of some things and he was dong exactly what he'd been told. Of course, he'd done so keeping an eye out for his cousin and it'd taken what little self-control he'd had to keep from pitching a fit when he'd discovered that Kaname was indeed missing.<p>

"Long side too." Kain's pained eyes flickered to him, the knife and then away, with only the faintest shadow of longing in them. "Put that down before you hurt yourself. I've done everything you asked. It's as if he was never there at all."

"It'd be an accident." Shiki retorted. "Purely accidental." He drew a deep breath and slowly let it out. "No sign of Seiren either?"

"None at all."

"Worries you, doesn't it?"

"Stop putting words in my mouth."

"I'd rather put something else in it."

"Senri!"

"Akatsuki."

The older vampire sighed. "I didn't mean to snap."

"Yes you did. You've been pushing yourself too hard. You can't blame yourself for something that was out of your control!"

"I should've been able to do something!"

"Should have." Shiki allowed. "Maybe. But then we all could hold ourselves responsible if we were to look at it that way, don't you think?"

Kain pillowed his head in his hands. He didn't answer.

Shiki sighed. He reached over and combed his small fingers through the crop of orange-blond hair. "The world's on your shoulders again." He murmured, sliding off the barstool and making a motion at the bartender behind the counter.

The lesser noble immediately bowed and backed out from the counter and the room cleared within seconds.

Kain didn't seem to notice.

Shiki moved to stand beside the older vampire's barstool and clenched the knife tight in one hand. "If you feel so responsible…" He brought the knife up and trailed it around the exposed patch of skin on the vampire's neck. "Then let this be your punishment." He drew the blade down, sharply.

Kain flinched, but didn't move or protest.

The dark-haired vampire leaned down and licked along the line of crimson welling up from the new wound. He laved it, gently, with his tongue and then began to trail soft kisses over the tender, new skin as it healed over. The kisses turned to nibbles and then definite nips.

A low moan came from the blond vampire.

Shiki smirked, wickedly. "You've been searching everywhere…" He began. "Checking everywhere and claiming that you've covered all your bases, so answer me this." His grip on the knife tightened and he tugged on one of Kain's elbows until the vampire straightened and looked at him. He looked absolutely miserable, but not as bad as he'd been several minutes before.

Odd-colored eyes narrowed faintly as Shiki turned away for a moment. "There is one place I didn't check." He said, at last.

"Where? Who?" Kain perked up at once.

A name was whispered and Kain went several shades of pale.

Shiki chuckled, humorlessly. "If anyone would know…" He trailed off.

Kain bowed his head for a moment and then straightened and sat tall with determination. "I'll check."

"You do that."

"Will you...?"

"I have things to tend to." Shiki licked the bloodied tip of the knife."

"What should I tell Takuma and Rima?"

"Nothing!" He said, sharply. "Just do as you should and I'll do the same. You will know where to find me if you have news." Shiki wrinkled his nose. "Oh and Kain?"

The blond looked to him expectantly.

He never saw the knife in the blur that followed.

A spike of burning pain registered and when Kain came to his senses, the empty bar was silent and almost haunted. The only difference left being the knife stabbed through the hand he'd rested on the counter. He pulled it out with a wince and cursed the empty room.

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><p><strong>~*~*~Thanks for reading!~*~*~*<strong>


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